You Belong to Me
by WriteWithoutRegret
Summary: Stefan has assigned Damon to keep an eye on Elena, while he's out of town. But can Damon really be trusted? And is he the only real threat left in Fell's Church, or is there another! Will Elena discover feelings for Damon she didn't think she had? -If you read the story, you will find out! Pls review - I'd like to know what you think!
1. Being Watched

**General POV**

Elena woke suddenly, swallowing in a lot of air. She coughed until her lungs started burning. She had woken because of a bad dream, but now, she didn't seem to remember what the dream had been about. Sleepily, she rubbed her eyes with the back of her slender, white hands.

Elena smiled as a thought popped into her head. She was with Stefan, but Stefan was out of town for a few days, hunting. Elena's heart ached at the thought of Stefan. She wanted him with her. She wanted to feel his strong, muscled arms around her, his light caress, and more than anything, his cool lips on hers. But she couldn't be selfish. She had to think of Stefan. She knew it must be hard on him being with her when all he wanted was to suck her dry.

Elena shivered at the picture forming in her head, so she shook it away. _I need to get out of bed, put some clothes on and get something to eat, _Elena thought, and at that exact moment, her stomach growled, loudly.

She searched her room for her favorite jeans, and noticed something peculiar. Her diary was lying on the floor, open. She looked around, scared of finding someone standing in the shadows, watching her every move. Reflexively, she reached for her neck, relaxing when she touched the cool locket with vervain. It was a new thing – her containing vervain in a locket around her neck – she had come up with, since Stefan's layer of the herb was running out. She'd taken the last few leaves he'd had left, and when she found the old locket of her grandmother's – which had been passed to her mother as well – she'd been quick to fill it with the rest of vervain, and put it in a light, silver chain.

Stefan had been a bit hesitant about the whole vervain-in-a-necklace thing, because he didn't think it would work as well as bathing in the sweet-smelling herb. But he'd come around. Actually, one of the reasons for his sudden departure had been so that he could get some more vervain for Elena, her friends – all the people she wanted to protect from evil, which equalled Damon.

Maybe she was just being paranoid about the whole diary thing. Maybe she'd forgotten to put it back behind the drawer last night. Though, Elena didn't think so. She hardly ever forgot something that involved her diary. Her diary was the only thing in the world Elena never wanted to get in the hands of others. Well, almost. She didn't want Stefan in the hands of others either. He was hers, as she was his. She smiled, and finally got out of bed, fetching her jeans from the chair. She also grabbed a blue t-shirt with a gold peace sign on that matched her lapis lazuli eyes and golden hair.

Elena brushed her golden locks quickly, not very thoroughly, and went down the stairs, only to have the biggest shock of her life.

There was blood everywhere. On the yellow walls and the carpet. And the picture of Elena's mother, father, Margaret and herself, was covered in the red, iron-smelling substance. Elena slowly lifted a trembling hand to her lips, to prevent an ear-piercing scream to escape.

"Margaret?! Judith?!" she called desperately. She ran to the kitchen where she found a blood-smeared knife. She picked it up, her hands shaking violently. _Oh, no. Oh, _NO_, _she thought, praying that nothing had happened to little Margaret or aunt Judith.

Elena's thoughts were interrupted when her eyes caught hold of something. There was a reflexion in the knife. It was a reflexion of eyes, looking at her from behind. Elena turned, the knife pointing directly at the intruder, possible murderer.

"Oh, jeez, Elena" said aunt Judith who was holding Margaret in the hand. They both looked shocked and scared. Elena could see tears forming in her little sister's big, blue eyes similar to her own. Elena dropped the knife, and threw an arm around her aunt, relief soaring through her body while she nuzzled Margaret's blonde head with the other.

"Okay, what is going on?" asked aunt Judith suspiciously, as if it was Elena that had been doing something strange or outrageous, or was just plain crazy.

"I-I saw blood" Elena answered, stuttering. "I thought something might had happened to you. Worst case scenario, I thought you were dead" she finished, swallowing.

Aunt Judith's eyes softened as she watched her niece's eyes fill. She put an arm around her, gently caressing Elena's back. "You poor baby" Judith muttered. "Don't you remember that it's Halloween today? Margaret and I were up early to decorate. The blood isn't real. Though it does look a lot like real blood and the scent of it is very iron-y. It's very authentic and it cost a fortune, but Maggie, here, insisted. By the way, how come you're up so early?"

"Bad dream. Wait, its Halloween? But isn't that in, like, a month?" Elena felt confused, and she looked at the clock hanging over the kitchen door. It was only six-thirty am. Her aunt and Margaret must have been up real early.

"Sweetie, we're in October, remember?" For a second, Elena thought her aunt was teasing her, but aunt Judith looked genuinely worried. Though it wore off, when Elena shrugged and smiled reassuringly. How come she didn't remember it being October? "But, you still have to go to school," aunt Judith continued, preoccupied with something else. "Oh and there's a party at the school tonight. It says to wear costumes," she finished.

"So, what was the bad dream about?" asked Meredith as they walked down the hallway, heading for their lockers. The day had started out with PE. They'd had a very hunky-looking substitute teacher – even Elena had to admit that he was hot, and she hung out with the two hottest guys in Fell's Church, and one of them was her boyfriend. Elena had scored four goals in basketball. Later, they'd had Mr. Mathers in math, and now they were about to have their last period for today: History with Mr. Tanner. This was going to be torture. Elena and Meredith shut their lockers closed, having gotten the books they needed.

"Well" Elena said, realizing how long it had taken for her to answer Meredith's question. "I don't know to be honest. Usually, I remember a feeling or a few glimpses of my dreams, but... nothing."

"Then how do you know it was a bad dream, not a good one?" Meredith always asked such difficult questions. She was Elena's own, personal shrink.

"It must have been" Elena said, nearly whispering, speaking more to herself than Meredith. "Why else would I have woken up so suddenly?"

They steered into their classroom, stopped dead. Everyone was sitting by their tables, looking at them as they walked in the door. Had they been waiting for _them? _

"How courteous of you to join us, miss Sulez, miss Gilbert." He looked at them, his black eyes willing them to sit down. "Please, no hurry, we can wait all day if you want" he exclaimed, voice dripping with sarcasm. Elena grimaced, but found a place to sit, two seats from Matt, and next to Meredith. Elena looked at Meredith, and they exchanged a look that said 'What an ass'.

"So" Mr. Tanner said loudly, practically yelled. "Are we ready to begin, or do you all need five more minutes to finish your little chit-chats?" Mr. Tanner looked at his terrified student, who all stopped talking. You could tell that he wanted someone to say something incredibly stupid, only so that he could make some evil comment and completely humiliate the student. No, wait. Destroy the student. Mr. Tanner was the Devil himself.

"Didn't think so. Anyways," he continued. "You probably all know that it is Halloween tonight, and I am sure that all of you have picked very cool costumes. Superman, perhaps?" Someone at the back of the room said 'Yeah', and everybody laughed, except of course Mr. Tanner, who just gave an evil glare.

"You might as well forget your choice of costume. Save them for next year. Yada, yada, yada. Because all of you," he gestured at them "are going to wear something that is meaningful to history. Something," he raised his voice, and pointed at the superman-boy in the back of the room "that has actually happened. Which of course means no superman, no robot or things within the 21st Century."

Elena sighed. This was only to be expected when you had Mr. Tanner as a history teacher, but couldn't he at least have told them a week or two ago. Now, all Mr. Tanner's students had to find new costumes in less than five hours.

As Elena had predicted, class was torture. But on the bright side, Elena had gotten a brilliant costume-idea. Her mother had had a very old, very beautiful renaissance-dress from one of her ancestors, lying at the ceiling, waiting for someone to wear it. As soon as the bell rang, Elena hurried out the door, forgetting something important, though apparently, not important enough.

**Damon's POV**

I'd been drinking bourbon all day. I knew it was a poor substitute for blood, but for some reason, I had promised my perfect little brother only to drink from one human a day, and I already had.

My victim had been on her way to school when I'd found her. She'd had blonde hair, nearly the same shade as _Hers_. But the girl's eyes had been a boring green with a hint of shitty brown, and if I hadn't been so freaking thirsty, it would probably had ruined the whole meal.

The girl's name had been Sabrina. I'd called her Sabrina the Ugly Substitute, and she had looked strangely at me, hurt in away. But who cares? My perfect little brother St. Stefan, that's who. At least he would've, if he'd been here. I smiled evilly to myself, remembering the girl telling me of a Halloween-party that would be going down at her school tonight. The same school Elena goes to...


	2. Red Lipstick

**Elena's POV**

The door flew open when I came through it, rushing up the stairs. I found the hatch in the ceiling at the top of the stairs, and opened it. A latter fell down from the dark hole, and I climbed it in a hurry, only having three hours to prepare myself for the party.

At the ceiling I found several things I could use for my costume. Old-fashioned necklaces lay in a small wooden box with the inscription 'Amelia Gilbert' on it. Rings, bracelets and earrings were all crumpled up in the corner of the box, and especially one of the rings caught hold of my eye. It was a silver ring with a small, very simple, yet breathtakingly beautiful stone. The ring too, had an inscription engraved on the inside of it. It said; "To my dear Amelia, I will love you, and cherish you forever. If you'll let me".

_How romantic, _I thought. This Amelia girl must have been real happy when she received this. _I wonder what happened to them, _I thought, and put the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly.

I let it stay on my finger, and I went searching for the dress. Dozens of boxes laid everywhere, and I had to look real close, to see the dates on the boxes. First there was1694, after that it was 1705, then it was 1787 and at last I found 1864. That was it, 1864. I carefully opened the fragile-looking box, excited as hell. I crossed my fingers, before letting my hands glide into the box, where they felt their way down. I came to a halt, when my fingers finally touched something silky. It was so soft, almost as soft as that little black kitten I had wanted when I was just a small girl. I took a grasp of the dress, and pulled it out of the box to see it closer, and in better light. It was stunning. It was the only word I found in my vocabulary that seemed somewhat fitting.

I looked at it. _Oh, yes, _I thought. _This dress will be perfect._

I went to my room, feeling grateful that I had already found a solution for my party-costume. Once again, the thing about my diary lying on the floor, open, bugged me more than anything. I walked to the spot where my diary laid, and I picked it up, turning it around to see what page it was on. I read:

_November 6__th__ 2010_

_Dear Diary,_

_I woke up at three am today, with the feeling that someone was watching me. It sent chills down my spine, and I started to get worried. It _kills _me that Stefan is going away soon, but he has to find something else than bunnies to feed on, because they're very small, so they don't contain that much blood. Plus, I think maybe there isn't that many bunnies left in Fell's Church since Stefan's arrival. So I have to be strong, even though it feels like I might die without him near. Just the thought of him going away makes my body go stiff, and my heart go cold. Of course I had asked him if I could come with, but I knew he wouldn't want me to, because he's so ashamed of what he is, and what he eats for dinner. But when the feeling of being watched welled over me, I didn't much think of Stefan. I thought of _Damon. _Stefan's evil, older vampire-brother, who'd once, loved the same girl as he. I feel a hint of jealousy every time I think of Stefan and (stupid me) Damon with another girl. _

_But I always shrug it away, trying not to dwell on the past. _

_Anyways, back to Damon. The thought of him watching me is unnerving, yet I also feel this strange sensation ripple through my body. Even though Damon is evil, he is also the most gorgeous man on the planet. I know, it sounds like I'm cheating on Stefan in my mind already, but to me, Stefan is the most beautiful _boy _in the universe. Still, the thought of Damon watching me when he could have any other girl on the planet, it's just so... I don't know! I'm not even supposed to think about this! Damon is my vampire-boyfriends evil, self-loving older brother. So why can't I stop thinking about him? It's so frustrating. Especially when Stefan told me that he had asked Damon to look after me while he was gone. I don't need a baby-sitter. And that's what I told him, Stefan. But Stefan doesn't listen when it comes to me not wanting to be in safety all the time. He just... ignores me, which is kind of annoying, since I'm not a kid._

_I'm sorry Diary; I have to say my farewells now. It's nearly 4 am! Time flies by quickly when one is upset and scared (and guilty of having lustrous feelings towards one's boyfriend's older brother. Shit. Did I just use the Damon and lustrous in the same sentence?)._

_Goodnight,_

_Elena Gilbert_

I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach._ Oh, no. Oh, God, no! _I thought desperately. _Oh, please, no. _Of course, everything made sense now. It was Stefan who had read my journal. That was why he'd left. It wasn't because there weren't enough animals he could chew on. It was all because of me. Stefan thought I was in love with Damon. I had to do something. I would go after him. I would. I would leave right after the Halloween-party. I'd promised Bonnie and Meredith I would go even though I didn't have a partner, so I couldn't – wouldn't bail on them. Not after Bonnie got so worked up. I knew Meredith was looking forward to it as well, but she always put on a cool facade. Besides, I was already wearing the dress, and it would be such a waste not to make an appearance with it on.

I went to the bathroom. I cast a glance at my reflection in the mirror. God, I looked tired. And white like a ghost. Or hey, white as a vampire. I giggled hysterically at my little comparison. Boy, I did not feel very good.

I put on some natural make-up, since I was going Stefan-hunting after the party. I searched for some lip balm, thinking it would be too much putting on lipstick. That thought remained in my head until I found something. I caught my breath, and took hold of the small, silver cylinder. Tears welled up in my eyes. This had been my mother's. It had been her favorite lipstick. She'd been saving it a lot, but I remembered one time, the _only_ one time when she'd put it on.

"_Elena, my darling. What do you think?" I stared at her. She looked so beautiful. I envied her. I envied her long, blonde hair. Mine was still a little short from cutting it in kindergarten, but it was coming around. At least that was what my mother told me. "Beautiful" I squeaked. My mother laughed. Another thing I envied her. Her laugh was so musical. Every time she laughed everyone would laugh with her. She kissed me on the cheek, leaving a red lip-mark. _

"_So where are you and daddy going since you're making yourself so pretty?" I asked her. "_I'm_ not going anywhere, but your daddy is going to visit his friend, your 'uncle', John." I pondered a little about this. "Then how come you're wearing red lipstick, mommy?" I was really confused about this. "I just wanted to be as beautiful as my daughter, while I spend every minute of this day with her." She stated, without a hint of a lie. She just smiled at me, showing her beautiful white teeth. I felt so happy I could explode, and I said, "You don't need make-up, momma. You're always pretty. You're the most pretty momma in the world," I said. And I meant it. _

A tear slipped past my closed eyelids, and fell to my lips, the taste of salt reaching my tongue. I dried my cheek, and looked at myself in the mirror. Hard. _Well, might as well go all out, _I thought. I popped open the lipstick, and put it to my lower lip. I hesitated. _Momma would have wanted this, _my inner child-voice told me. So I did it. Thereafter I looked in the mirror again, shocked to see my mother staring at me. No, wait. That wasn't my mother; it was I, Elena Gilbert. I sighed, wishing she could see me now. More tears filled my eyes, and I could barely see, but I would not shed them. Not now. She would have wanted me to have fun. Smile. Be careless. She would not have me cry.

I did some finishing touches and walked downstairs, meanwhile grabbing my brown leather-bag from The Bridge. It didn't really go with my dress, but I had packed a lot of stuff, clothes, toothbrush, a stake in case it would be needed, etc., and I couldn't care less, if people thought I had lost my sense of fashion. Caroline would probably gloat.

I went into the living room, finding Judith making sure Margaret's costume was completely done. Judith hated not finishing something – especially something she considered a masterpiece. And I must say, Margaret really did look cute. She was in her princess-phase – been there – and she was wearing an ice-blue dress. It looked like something I would have worn. In fact, I think it was a miniature-copy of a dress I wore, later tore, last year.

Margaret looked up, mouth falling open. I glanced behind me to see what she was looking at, but I didn't find anything, so I turned around to ask Margaret what she was staring at. But when I found her gaze, I realized it was I. Her mouth was hanging open... because of _me._ Slowly Judith whirled around to see what Margaret was looking so ravenous at, when her mouth fell open as well.

"Elena," she said, stammering. "You look beautiful. Just like your mother". Once again, I felt like crying, and I do think that a tear or two sneaked its way out of the corner of my eye and down my cheek. Judith stood and made her way past the couch so that she could give me a hug.

That was when the doorbell rang.


	3. Who's Knocking?

**Damon's POV**

I had prepared myself all day. I had even – only to throw it in Elena's face when she objected – called Stefan to hear if I was 'allowed' to accompany his girlfriend to the Halloween-party. Stefan had protested at first, but he'd said 'yes' when I told him it would be a great place for some evil vampire to capture her, and drain her from all the sweet blood, her ravishing body contained. I held a breath I really didn't need, thinking of the one time, where I had seen Elena almost completely naked.

_I'd been sitting on a branch in the tree outside of her room. She'd been out with St. Stefan, and he'd only kissed her once on the mouth and twice on the forehead before he left her at the front door. I knew she wanted more. I could tell. Her shoulders fell. I smirked, imagining it being me who would kiss those full, naturally red lips. Stefan was an idiot. He had everything and he didn't do anything about it. He probably thought he was being a gentleman. I heard her sigh as she locked the door behind her, and maneuvered her way up the stairs. I could see her through the window. She slid off her king-blue dress, not knowing that there would be someone like me, watching outside her window. She was only wearing black lacy underpants and a matching bra. I smiled thinking that maybe one day I would be taking that bra off of her, feeling her soft, milky skin against mine. She was standing with her back to me, looking at the door, as if expecting someone – probably my little brother – to barge in that door and take her hard. _

_I was about to turn, knowing that she soon would close the curtains. But she didn't. She just unhooked her bra and took it off. I was so startled I fell down from the tree, and when I got up again it was too late. The curtains had been closed. I just hoped I would get another chance, without having to look in through her window._

I smirked. Maybe I would get that chance tonight. I shrugged on my black blazer coat. It felt strange against my skin. I'd gotten so used to wearing my leather jacket that anything besides it just felt abnormal. I leaned against the doorsill, picking up the deep red rose I had found for Elena.

At first, I had wanted to give her a black rose, but for some strange reason, the red rose just seemed perfect for tonight's events. I might be wrong, but I really doubted that. I was never wrong.

I went to my red Ferrari, giving it a slight pad on the bonnet, before driving past the speed limit to Elena's house. I knew she was downstairs. I could hear her light breathing. Her aunt said, "Elena, you look beautiful. Just like your mother". By now, Elena would have a tear or two running down her cheeks. I could tell Elena and her aunt was about to hug, but I was way too impatient to see which kind of costume she'd chosen, so I rang the doorbell. I could hear Elena catch her breath. She was not prepared for someone to come at this time. She probably hoped it was Stefan, her knight in shining armor that waited for her outside the door. Well, she was going to get a nasty surprise.

"It's probably just Robert," said Elena's aunt. _Nope, that it is not,_ I thought amused. "Okay, I'll get it," Elena said. I could hear her take one step, two steps, three steps, and now she was standing in front of the door, hand on the doorknob. She slowly turned it, opening the door and blinding me with her beauty in the process. She was an angel. She was wearing a white Italian renaissance-dress, long enough to touch the floor when she walked. Little, white beads were making small patterns everywhere on the light-looking garment. Her fair hair looked somewhat elf-like. She'd made her hair in small ringlets, two strings of bang leading to the back of her head, had been braided. Her face looked very sensual. She was only wearing a little mascara, a little rouge, but her lips looked so tempting. I wanted to kiss her just then. I couldn't even describe how beautiful she looked. Not even with my well-packed vocabulary. I was just tongue-tied. And it looked like she was too.

**Elena's POV**

Damon. That was the only thing I could think. He looked positively gorgeous. Nope that was an understatement. He was wearing all black. Black boots. Black Armani-jeans. A black v-shaped t-shirt and, strangely enough, a black blazer coat. I hadn't seen him without his black leather jacket since... ever. I smiled at this, but I reminded myself that he most definitely shouldn't be here.

I cleared my throat.

"Damon, what are doing here?" I asked, trying not to sound the least bit interested. I'm sure he wasn't fooled.

**Damon's POV**

"Well, Elena, do I really have to give you a reason for being here on this beautiful Halloween evening?"

"Yes, you do," she answered, pretending to be annoyed. How cute. Well, I'd been expecting this. I smirked slightly under her gaze.

"I, Damon Salvatore," wink. "Is here to accompany you, Elena Gilbert," wink. "To the Halloween-party." I smirked at her expression. She looked kind of happy. I guess I didn't really have to look at her facial-expression to know that she was happy or, well nervous being around me. I could tell by the way she stood. And whenever she was nervous or exited, she kept playfully touching a string of her hair. She was doing that right now. Then again, I could tell just by listening to her heart rate. The speed of it always enhanced whenever I was around. Stefan knew that too. It bothered him senseless.

"Damon," she said, making her voice sound harsher. "I don't want, nor need you to accompany me to the party. And where did you even hear about it?"

I knew she wasn't going to like my answer, so I shrugged and said, "I just do". She looked at me suspiciously, pouting her lips.

"Maybe I should ask," she continued, "whom have you heard it from?" She lifted an eyebrow, and so I cocked one too. She was so on to me.

I shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to tell her what I was going to next. It was embarrassing to me. But I put on my careless facade. "You know, I talked to St. Stefan about this." She stared at me, not believing the words coming from my smirking mouth.

**Mysterious POV**

Elena Gilbert, a rare beauty. She was a beauty only seen once before. Then, it had belonged to Katherine, and Katherine had belonged to me. Her entire body had been enslaved to me. And what a body she'd had. It was slender, yet curvy. She'd enjoyed being with me. And so would Elena.

I had had the honor of having her in physical education – the students had called it PE. She had been wearing very short shorts, and I was not the only male in the room that enjoyed watching her use her body.

I had heard her and her friends talk about me. They all seemed to think I was hot. At first, I thought they were talking about my temperature, but I found they meant my looks. I believe the way she put it was _"I wouldn't mind him setting his teeth in me". _I had smiled at that. Of course, she then remembered her boyfriends and started feeling all guilty.

Afterward, I had been standing outside the door of the girls' locker room. I had heard her giggle over something that her friend said, and I was very tempted to just go in there and take her. I had even had my hand on the doorknob about to twist it, when one of the teachers went by, looking at me suspiciously, so I had knocked on the door, telling them to hurry up. That seemed to make the teacher slightly more relaxed.

Right now she was talking to the eldest of the Salvatore brothers, Damon was his name, I think. I could tell just by looking at him, that the beauty of Elena Gilbert too entranced him. Too bad he would never have her. The younger Salvatore brother, Stefan, had been easily disposed of. Not that he was dead. He just wasn't here. I had made sure all animals in town had been lured away, and so the Stefan-boy had to follow. He wouldn't be back for a while.

Damon was going to be a tad more difficult, but an evil master plan was already forming in my head.


	4. Party Prophecies

**General POV**

With a frown plastered on her face, Elena took Damon's outstretched hand, and let him guide her to his car. Elena hadn't ever really gotten used to seeing a red Ferrari driving around in Fell's Church, and she never would. Damon opened the door for her, and in a gentlemanly kind of way, gestured for her to get in.

Once inside the car, Elena buckled her seat belt, and for some strange reason, she felt a light, tickling feeling on the surface of her skin. Elena leaned in to turn on the heat, and was met by a warm hand, already pressing the button. She felt an almost nonexistent electric shock from Damon's touched, and cringed slightly.

Damon noticed this of course. He smirked. She had felt the electric shock as well as he had. Maybe it meant they were supposed to be together.

Damon imagined himself putting a ring on Elena's finger, vowing that he would never put her in harms way, and his love would be untouched and undying. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Elena clearing her pretty, white throat, indicating that we had already reached the school. Damon had been driving fast. He just hoped he hadn't scared Elena.

He glanced at the passenger seat, in which Elena was sitting. No, wait. Scratch that. _Had _been sitting. Damon let out a small growl. He jumped out the car, slammed the door shut, and chose a quick pace to follow the white lit-up candle Elena looked like in the darkness.

_She will be the light in my darkness, _Damon thought, hungrily.

Elena walked pretty fast, but she didn't want to seem like she was in a hurry. Besides, knowing Damon, he would be two steps behind her and looking pissed off at her sudden disappearance.

"So," she said, knowing Damon would hear her. "You really must have been deep in thought, since you didn't even notice me missing until now, huh?"

_Oh, Elena, _Damon thought. _If you only knew what I had been thinking about..._

"Elena!" Bonnie shrieked, throwing her petite arms around the taller girl. Bonnie hadn't really noticed what Elena was wearing, until she pulled back. Elena looked _magnifique. _Bonnie felt a slight tinge of jealousy, but repressed it, wanting to have a good night. 

Bonnie stepped back, and let her even taller friend, Meredith, hug Elena.

Meredith wore a dark-green, old-fashioned hunter-costume. Bonnie wanted to ask what kind of a hunter Meredith was supposed to be, but she was worried the others might think she was stupid.

"Meredith," sounded Elena's silk-soft voice. "Can I ask, what kind of a hunter you're supposed to be?" At that moment, Damon stepped out from the shadow, and went over to Elena.

"I am glad you ask," Meredith replied. Looking at Damon, she searched her pants for something. "I'm a vampire-hunter," she finished, showing the object, she had been searching for. A stake.

Damon gulps, taking a step closer to Elena.

_She even has Damon, _thought Bonnie, not able to repress the feelings of jealousy any longer. Bonnie was about to open her mouth, when a strange feeling went through her body, and she no longer seemed to be in control of her body. She was in her body, but she didn't control it. Suddenly, everything went black.

"Elena," a voice said. The voice came from Bonnie, but it wasn't the small, shriek-y voice. It was deeper, more like a woman's than Bonnie's. Meredith, Elena and Damon were startled.

"Elena, Elena," the voice repeated. "By light of the Moon, by Daughter of June, you are in grave danger. Someone is coming for you. Someone who can not die. Not even by wood poisoning or the flames of a fire. You must also realize that something is lost. Something you always have with you."

In a split second, Bonnie was falling, though she never hit the ground, for strong arms reached her, and lifted her up.

Damon looked at the tiny girl in his arms.

She was very sweet, but she was only a little girl with powers too strong for her own good. She kind of reminded him of a girl he had been protecting when he had been human. She had been bullied around every day, because her father was crippled. Damon had stood up for her. She had had red hair too. Her name had been Sonny.

Damon silently laughed at the similarities of the names, not to mention the girls themselves. That was until he heard something. A thought, and it wasn't his.

_Thank God Damon reached Bonnie in time, _Elena thought. Then she saw Damon's facial-expression. _Why is he looking at Bonnie like that? Is he in love with her? I mean, it is clear that she has a crush on him, but... _Elena scanned Damon's body, seeing his every muscle at work. _I guess I can understand Bonnie. He is the most gorgeous man on earth. How did I describe my feelings towards him in my diary? Oh, yes, lustrous. His lips are beautiful, as if they have been sculpted. I wonder what it would feel like to kiss them. They look so soft and red and– No! What am I thinking about? I shouldn't want to want Damon. His body against mine..._

Damon heard all of this. Elena must really be feeling some strong emotions at the moment, because she was projecting her thoughts so hard, they could be heard miles away.

_His body against mine... _Elena's words replayed inside of Damon's head, a smirk appearing on his face. So he wasn't the only one thinking about the two of them together. And hadn't she looked a little green when he had been holding Bonnie?

_Wait– _Damon thought. He remembered the finishing part the unknown voice had told Elena before Bonnie had fallen. _"You must also realize that something is lost. Something you always have with you..."_

Damon looked at Elena's neck. She wasn't wearing her vervain-necklace.

"Elena," Damon said, stiffly. "Where is your necklace? Please tell me you have it on you."

Elena, who had been lost in thought, came back to reality. Her hands flew to her neck. It wasn't there.

Elena started panicking.

_Think, Elena, think, _she thought to herself. _I had it on me this morning. I went to school._ _We had PE. PE! Of course, I took of the necklace and put it in my locker with my other stuff._

"I took it off before having P.E.," Elena exclaimed. "It must still be in my locker."

"Why'd you take it off?" Damon bit.

"Because I–" Elena tried to explain. "I was afraid it was going to break."

"We need to go find it. Now," Damon commanded. He carefully placed Bonnie in Meredith's arms, so that Meredith could support Bonnie's weight.

Elena and Damon were rushing down the corridor heading for the lockers. Elena had difficulties running fast, since she was wearing high heels. Damon was far ahead of Elena, when he finally seemed to notice her lack of speed.

Damon turned, running toward Elena.

When he reached her, he picked her up bridal-style and ran all the way to her locker, using vampire-speed.

Damon had a lot on his mind. _Elena_ had lustrousfeelings towards _him. _It didn't bother him in particular, but it didn't make him happy either. Though, he should be. He should be happy. But he wanted Elena to love him as much as he loved her, not desire him. Damon's mood was going from slightly annoyed to furious.

Elena saw a poster for a play about vampires, some children in kindergarten were making. The poster had a picture of a boy dressed as the fictional vampire Dracula, wearing a black cape, hiding his entire body except for his eyes with it. The title was 'A Vampire's Life'. Elena was about to point it out to Damon, but when she saw the look of anger and hurt plastered on his face, she decided, he probably wouldn't find it that amusing. Maybe she should ask him what was wrong.

Elena went over to Damon, placing a hand on one of his muscular arms. At first, he didn't acknowledge her presence, but when she placed her other hand on his chest; he turned his head to look at her, a deadly look in those black, bottomless eyes.

Elena could tell that Damon was trying to make her let go of him. Make her leave him alone. But Elena wouldn't budge.

"Damon," Elena asked, innocently.

"What?" he spat.

This time Elena took a step back. At this moment, she feared him.

Elena turned her back on Damon, and stalked over to her locker. She remembered the combination easily, and soon the locker had been opened.

The inside of the locker had been decorated with dozens of pictures. Pictures of her friends. In one of the pictures, Bonnie was sticking her tongue out, nearly biting it in two.

First, she searched her gym-bag. Front-pocket. Empty. Side-pocket: Two dollars and a pair of earrings. The largest room of the bag wasn't much better. It only contained her gym-clothes and shoes.

Elena was getting frustrated. She groaned loudly and was faced by Damon, who seemed to have gotten a hold of himself.

"What is it," he asked, facial-expression showing no emotion. _Nada._

"I-I..." Elena hesitated. She didn't want Damon to get angry with her again. She didn't like feeling scared of him.

Damon knew what he had done to her. He had scared her, which was good. She would keep her distance from now on. But at the moment, Damon couldn't bring himself to be angry with her. She looked so frightened.

He asked, this time gentler "What is it, Elena?"

"I can't find it," she said, her eyes tearing up. "I can't find the necklace."

Damon wanted nothing more than to console her, but he couldn't. It would be unnecessary torture.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Normally he would have searched the locker himself by now, but he trusted Elena when it came to stuff like this.

She nodded her head, and a lonely tear fell from her closed eyes. The tear mesmerized Damon. He reached out, and caught it on his finger. He put it to his lips, and graced it with his tongue. It tasted sweet, salty. But there was something else. Something Damon couldn't quite... define. It tasted heavenly, like something untouched. _Wait a minute._

Damon's eyes flew open in surprise. He hadn't even realized they'd been closed.

"Princess," he said, unable to repress the smile, tugging at his lips. "You're a maiden."

"What?" Elena was suddenly confused. She was a maiden? "What are you talking about?"

"But the way you walked, the way you _talked_," the excitement in Damon's eyes were alluring. "Was it all just an act?"

Finally, having understood what Damon meant, she blushed.

"I– Yes, it was all just an act."

"So, you and Stefan haven't..." Damon hadn't felt this happy in a very long time.

Elena was looking at the ground. She found an interesting spot where someone had dropped a piece of cake or something. Now, hundreds of small ants were-

"Elena! Where have you been? You promised me a dance." It was Bonnie speaking. No doubt about it.

"Yes, I know," Elena answered. "But– "

Bonnie grabbed hold of Elena's wrist, dragging her to where all the noise was coming from. Elena later remembered thinking that Bonnie was quite strong for her size.


	5. The Big Bad Dane

**Mysterious POV**

I found myself surrounded by dancing, talking or secretly drinking teenagers. I had not yet found _her_, my reason for being here, but soon enough Elena entered the room, coming through one of the backdoors, being dragged in by her little witchy friend, Bonnie. Elena looked absolutely beautiful.

_Soon, she will be mine._

I stepped out of the shadows only to be attacked by a dozen or so teenage girls.

"Hel_lo _Mr. Svendsen," a girl with a southern drawl said, trying to sound seductive and sexy. She nearly succeeded.

"Hello," I said gently, not wanting to be rude, though I could not have been more uninterested. Just then, I lost sight of Elena.

"Sooo," the hard on-coming girl continued. "Larsen sounds pretty foreign – at least with the way it's spelled; S-V-E-N-D-S-E-N. Where was it you was from?" I almost corrected the 'you was' since it was highly incorrect, but over time I had learned that most people from Southern-America made the same mistake.

"Svendsen _is_ foreign," I explained. "It's Danish, actually. I'm from there. Denmark, I mean."

"Really?" the girl sounded skeptical, yet flattered. She probably thought I was trying to impress her.

"Really," I said, giving her a very serious look.

She giggled and I rolled my eyes.

I scanned the crowd until my eyes finally found the face I had been looking for. Elena was deep, deep inside a crowd, encircled by her close friends and some others. Beside Elena stood Caroline. She was trying to get all the attention, but people didn't give her a second-glance, for they had been entranced by Elena's beauty.

I heard a tiny, strident noise and was pulled out from my trance.

I hissed at the sudden pullout and refrained from extending my fangs. Instead, I focused all my attention to the spot from where the annoying noise had come from.

What I found was the southern girl.

"What?" I spat. The girl looked shocked, so I asked once more a little bit gentler, but it came out sounding strained and sort of girly.

"I-I," she stuttered. "I just wanted to known if you can say something in Danish?" It was meant to come out as a statement, but the girl was so afraid I'd attack her again that it came out a question.

"Sure," I said. "What would you like me to say?"

"Um, maybe your name and occupation."

"Alrighty," I said and smiled at her. She returned the smile, but still looked at tad nervous.

"Jeg hedder Klaus Svendsen, og du dufter lækkert." Translation: My name is Klaus Svendsen, and you smell delicious.

"Wauw! That sounded really cool." The girl said. For the first time I tried to read her mind, so that I could put a name with the face.

_OMG! He is like real handsome. The most handsomest man I've ever seen. _She thought not knowing anyone would hear her. _Daisy Svendsen? Well, it sounds a bit off, but maybe he'll be willing to change his last name if we ever get married. I wonder how old he is… _Her thoughts trailed off, but I didn't really want to hear anymore of those ridiculous fantasies.

"Would you excuse me," I asked, but it was more like a statement.

"Okay," Daisy said, but I was already moving, thinking hard all the while. How was I going to get some privacy with Elena without being accused of wanting to do funny business?

**General POV**

People were surrounding Elena. Some were friends and some were just acquaintances. She sighed loudly and got a little more attention than she had assumed.

"Is something wrong, Princess?" Damon's lips graced her ear as he whispered those four words. It sent chills down her spine and suddenly she couldn't stand.

Her knees felt wobbly, and her head was spinning. She tried to take slow, deep breaths, but instead she started hyperventilating.

Elena tried to say something, but no words passed her lips.

Meanwhile Damon was talking to one of the girls in Elena's little group of admirers. She had chocolate brown eyes and her hair was the same.

Damon wasn't interested, but he could tell that she definitely was.

"So," the girl said. "Are you and Elena together? 'Cause I thought she was with that Stefan dude."

"Well, it's not official yet, but it will be." He smirked. She looked both confused and annoyed with his lack of interest in her.

"But what does that mean?" She asked a bit aggressively, but he tuned her out, having heard an even more interesting conversation exchanged by two guys who were staring openly at Elena all the while.

"_Have you seen that new substitute teacher Mr. Svendsen? All the girls seems to have fallen head over heels for him, but I don't care much for that guy," one of the boys said._

"_Yeah, I've seen him," the other exclaimed. "I caught him ear-to-door by the girls locker room today."_

"_I told you, he's creepy," the first one said, getting aggravated. "Today at PE he was staring apprehensively at Elena Gilbert. He was obviously trying not to show any interest, but he totally followed her every move." _

Damon felt curious. Who was this mystical man who was said to have an interest in his Princess of Darkness?

Elena really couldn't take it anymore. She felt like, she had been locked into an oven that was set to three hundred degrees.

She tried to take a step back, and then she collapsed.

**Damon POV**

I had been so deep in thought, I hadn't even noticed Elena's fall. But now, I rushed to her side, shaking her shoulders gently, while saying her name in different tones of my voice.

Nothing seemed to wake Elena, so I started carefully probing her mind around the edges. When I could not see or feel anything, I went in as deep as I could.

Inside, Elena's mind was clouded. The surroundings looked like enormous tombstones on which many recognizable names stood. One said Bonnie, the next Meredith. I searched the stones until I found two completely identical ones, standing right next to each other. The first of the stones read:

_Stefan Salvatore._

_You hold a love so great nothing will ever overpower you. _

_Neither in Life nor Death will you be obsolete._

I slowly moved on to the other stone, still processing what I had just read.

While I reached this stone, my heart skipped a beat – or at least it would have, if I hadn't been a vampire. I found myself, staring at my very own tombstone. Though the thought of being dead, really dead made me feel very strange, it was the words engraved in the stone that confused me the most.

_Damon Salvatore._

_Although you seemed to hold it dear, your love for me was oh so clear, _

_I hope you know that I as well contain a love for you. Farewell. _

**Elena POV**

I woke, feeling very disoriented. My eyes were still closed, but I could tell that I was laying down on something soft and wet, and my head was facing the ground. I guessed what I was lying on was grass. I slowly opened my eyes and found I was right. I pushed myself off the ground, using my hands to get on my feet. I brushed my hands on my jeans, getting rid of the dirt I had picked up in the process of standing.

I heard the sound of a branch cracking.

I turned and gasped.

I was looking into a pair of fairly familiar heaven blue eyes. Even though I found it very difficult, I made myself search the face of the stranger. He had moonlight-white hair and a boyish, crooked smile.

I gasped once more, when I realized it was no stranger. It was the very good-looking PE substitute teacher from earlier today. And he was standing very close – close enough for his breath to touch my skin whenever he breathed.

"I-I. Is this a dream?" I asked stupidly.

He smiled a heart-warming smile before answering.

"Yeah, this is a dream, so I guess you won't mind if I give you a kiss." He leaned closer, but I took a step back. This might be a dream, but I was not about to cheat on my boyfriend with some stranger, regardless of how handsome he was.

For a moment anger crossed his face, but he regained the small smile on his full lips.

"I don't kiss strangers," I said a little shakily. "I mean, you're definitely very hot, but I don't even know your name." I lifted my chin challengingly, but when doing so, my lips graced his. I tried not to make it an even deeper kiss by taking another step back, but he suddenly brought his arm around my waist, so there no longer was any distance between us.

At first the kiss felt kind of normal, no real sparks, but then he pushed his tongue into my mouth and pressed his abdomen very close to mine, and it made me whimper in pain.

He smiled into my lips, clearly thinking my embarrassing whimper was a whimper for more, and laid me on the ground without breaking the kiss. He was lying on top of me, and he put his arms around me, exploring my body with his cold hands.

He let his hand glide slowly on the inner side of my thigh, but I had to draw the line, when his hand got too close to my very intimate spot.

I cried out, ending the kiss and unsuccessfully tried to remove him from my struggling form.

Thankfully, someone had heard my cries for help, because suddenly I was freed from the weight of – What was his name? Mr. Svendsen, was it?

I heard someone struggle, when all of a sudden everything went black.

"Elena! Elena!" Someone yelled. I tried opening my eyes, but it was like they were glued together.

I felt hands caressing my face, and I wanted to find out who it was, but I just _could not_ make myself open my eyes.

I screamed ear piercingly when my head felt like it was going to explode, as I heard a smug, evil voice inside of my head, saying, _"You will be mine, Elena. Maybe not yet, but sometime, anytime…"_ The word "anytime" echoed in my head as the evil voice laughed cruelly, and then it was over.

"Elena," A soothing, yet pained voice said. "Elena, please. Please, wake up," The voice begged and continued, "If you don't wake, I can't make the pain go away. Please, let me take the pain away."

Finally, my eyes fluttered open.

I looked around confused, until I found the source of the soothing voice. I was looking into a pair of pained, bottomless, black eyes. It was Damon.

"Damon," I whispered, remembering my dream, nightmare. "You are my savior. And that is very fitting, since Salvatore means savior." I hadn't even realized what I'd said, until it was too late. A smirk was already appearing on Damon's face, and he leaned very close and whispered seductively, "Princess, I'll be your savior anytime, any day." He trailed off and looked worried when he found that my small smile had faltered. No, vanished.

That word, _"Anytime…"_ had just reminded me a little too much, of what that horribly evil voice had said.

"Elena, what's wrong," Damon asked. There was such a love in his soft voice that I very much felt like kissing his full, red lips. Instead, I got up on my elbows and said, "Oh, it's nothing. I just– Was that a dream? I don't seem to know, but everything was just so real." I quit speaking, since I wasn't making any sense.

"Elena," Damon said, looking serious, whilst finding my eyes. "That was not a dream. Or, in a way I guess it was, but someone else was creating it. I think that that 'someone else' is the same person who has your necklace." Elena tried processing what exactly Damon had just said, but she found it very difficult at the moment.

I stood, but when I looked around, I found that I was no longer at the Halloween-party. I was at the Boardinghouse.

Mrs. Flowers was off somewhere, visiting an old friend of hers. Stefan had told me so before he left. The thought of Stefan made me feel guilty for having spent the last few hours with his older brother. But another part of me felt no guilt, whatsoever. Besides, Damon and I weren't doing anything close to… _I can't even find a proper word for it, _Elena thought, feeling dumb. She shook her head, helplessly.

**Klaus POV**

_No, no, no. This was not supposed to happen. She was within my reach, and I ruined it. _I released a loud, animal-like growl. I'd been selfish, wanting her too badly. She hadn't been ready, but would she ever be?

I walked around, infuriated with myself.

_I have to do something. But what to do, what to do… _

I sat, taking slow, unneeded breaths.

An idea was forming in my head, and a cruel smirk appeared on my handsome face. I was getting very impatient, and I decided, that I was no longer going to be Mr. Nice-Guy.


	6. Bloody Mirror

**General POV**

Elena sighed, looking out the window.

There was going to be a full moon tonight, but at the moment, gray clouds were hovering threateningly upon the sky.

"Looks like it's going to rain," Damon said matter-of-factly.

Elena sighed heavily once more, and found her way to the couch. Damon cocked an eyebrow half-mocking, half-questioningly.

"What's up, 'Lena? Missing your bunny-eating boyfriend already?"

Just then, a lightning bolt broke through the sky, and rain began beating against the panes of glass.

Elena shrieked and jumped over to Damon, hiding behind his back.

Damon turned in Elena's arms, and she now saw that there was a definite mock-smirk plastered on his handsome face.

"Call me crazy, Elena," He said. "But are you afraid of thunderstorms?"

Elena blushed, looking anywhere but Damon's teasing eyes. His chest seemed a little bit inappropriate, but it was the best she could do, while standing so close to him.

"Well," Elena murmured, feeling quite ashamed. "It's not so much the thunderstorms as the lightning bolts."

For some reason, she was now playing with a tiny thread that was hanging from Damon's blazer coat.

Damon took Elena's hands in his own, forcing her to look into his eyes. And at that exact moment, another bolt of lightning broke through the sky, making Elena jump further into Damon's stone-hard arms.

She was now standing so close to Damon; she didn't even dare to breathe, in case her lips would touch his as she looked into his eyes.

Damon slipped his arms around Elena and held her protectively.

Elena relaxed against his chest, and felt her breath steady. She whispered, "Thank you, Damon."

"Well, Elena. I saw an opportunity to hold you closer, and I took it," Damon said with a facial-expression Elena couldn't quite define. Elena found this fairly confusing. Now, would be the time to give her one of his famous 250-kilowatt smiles and then turn it off just as abruptly as it had appeared.

Elena shrugged the thought away, giving Damon a sweet and genuine smile.

"You should go to bed, Princess. You've been through a lot today, and you need some rest," Damon said, releasing her from his grasp.

"But, Damon, what about you? Where will you sleep?" She asked, sincerely troubled by the thought.

"Don't worry about me, my lovely. I already have somewhere to sleep. Just down the hall," Damon pointed in the direction of his room.

"And, uhm, where am _I_ going to sleep?" Elena asked, though she already knew the answer.

"In Stefan's room," Damon said, enthusiastically, though Elena could hear the falseness and bitterness behind the words.

Elena let a hand rest on Damon's heaving chest and looked into his eyes.

"Goodnight, Damon," Elena mouthed.

Damon winked at her, and she couldn't help but smile unwillingly.

Elena woke late that night, as another lightning bolt cracked the sky open. She shivered violently, finding the sheet a little too thin to keep warm in. She was used to her warm, comforting duvet, but of course Stefan slept with only a sheet, since he felt neither warmth nor cold.

Elena ignored her shiver and tried going back to sleep, but not much time went by, before Elena opened her eyes again.

This time, she decided to wander around the halls of the large house, but nor did that do anything for her heat-problem.

Elena argued with herself, as she made her way to Damon's room.

_Elena, this is _NOT _a good idea, _she told herself. _But, maybe it will be warm, _Elena fired back at herself.

Elena giggled manically. _I am going crazy, _she sang-thought.

She slapped her forehead.

_Stop it, Elena. If Damon finds you out here, he'll think you're some crazy nutcase. _The thought of Damon seeing her like this, made Elena stop her crazy, little act.

She took a deep breath and knocked on Damon's door.

At first, there was no sign of movement, but then Damon opened the door, looking very sleepy and disoriented.

Elena held her breath. Damon was shirtless. In fact, he was only wearing a pair of tight boxer shorts.

"Oh, uhm, sorry," Elena mumbled, shyly.

"Elena," Damon looked both smug and confused. "What are you doing here? It's in the middle of the night." He exclaimed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

A glimpse of lightning cascaded its way from the sky to a place very close to the Boardinghouse. Elena whimpered unintentionally and then blushed, embarrassed with herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry for being so rude, Elena," Damon smirked. "Would you like to come in, or are you just going to stand out there all night?" He raised a curious, yet mocking eyebrow.

"I'm not so sure," Elena said a bit annoyed. "If you're going to act like that, I really don't know if I want to be anywhere near you." She raised a confronting eyebrow.

Damon sighed, but it turned into a heavy yawn. "C'mon in, Elena," he said, shrugging.

"Thank you." This was not a good idea. It really wasn't.

Elena cautiously walked into Damon's room and found that it was very modern. Stefan's room was kind of old fashioned, with great, big bookshelves made of wood that contained a thousand or so dusty, old books. His bed was also made of wood, and so was his also-old-fashioned desk.

Elena had to admit that it seemed Damon was living more in the now, than her vampire-boyfriend.

Damon's room had large windows, and Elena could imagine that it would look beautiful in the daytime, or, well, when the curtains weren't shut.

Even though Damon's room was more modern, it also contained a, well, modern bookshelf, but on the bookshelf were some old books, and strangely enough, it looked like they all had been opened within this last year.

Catching Elena's gaze, Damon snorted and said, "Yes, Elena, it's a mystery. How can such a good-looking guy like myself also be able to read a lot of books – not to mention be incredibly smart?"

Elena ignored Damon and returned her focus to his room.

Beneath the bookshelf, was a large, black desk, and on it, stood a silver-glistening MacBook Pro and a coffee mug filled with pens and pencils.

Elena's mouth fell open, when she saw the huge bed that actually had a real, soft-looking duvet. It literally looked like you could disappear under the covers.

Once again, Damon easily caught the gaze of Elena's eyes. He smiled smugly, before walking back to his bed and lying down beneath the covers.

Elena tried not to look too jealous of the fact that Damon was buried under the warm covers, but she really didn't manage.

Then, Damon's head appeared from out the covers. He looked at her, a serious glint in his black eyes and asked just as seriously, "Elena? Would you like to come into bed with me? I mean, it's really not that warm in the house, and since Stefan only sleeps with a sheet, maybe you would like to join me." Finally, Damon smirked and put his arms casually behind his head, while he waited patiently for Elena to answer his question.

Elena stood, wondering if she should tell Damon to get off his high horse, or if she should just go over to the bed, lie down and fall asleep.

She chose to do the latter.

When Elena woke the next morning, she thought the happy thought; _I don't think I've ever slept this heavily. _She smiled and looked around, expecting to find herself in Stefan's cold, wooden bed, but to her surprise she opened her eyes and stared at the peaceful and oh-so-beautiful face of an angel.

_Oh, right, _Elena thought, mentally kicking herself as the memories of last night came rushing back. Elena wondered if she should leave quietly and pretend like last night's rummage never happened or if she should just stay in the warm, comfortable – not to mention huge – bed.

Elena once again looked at Damon's angelic face and decided no one would get hurt, if she stayed for a little while longer. Well, Stefan couldn't really be mad at her for wanting to sleep in a warm bed, could he? Elena didn't know, and at the moment she really didn't care either.

Elena felt like she could steal one last glance at Damon before falling back to sleep, but once she did, a thought surfaced her mind. _He looks like he's dreaming, _she exclaimed in her mind. _But what is he dreaming about? _She wondered, curiously.

What – just what could Damon be dreaming about? He just looked so frail and vulnerable all of a sudden.

Elena shook her head in frustration. She wished Damon could look like that all the time. She turned her head to take in the room in the daylight, when she saw it.

Elena shrieked almost silently.

She tried to make Damon wake up. First, she started out trying to sound calm. But when Damon didn't wake, she started shaking him roughly and calling out his name desperately and fearfully.

**Damon POV**

I was standing on a beach with my back to her. She was approaching, and I didn't know why. Or did I? I waited impatiently for her arrival by my side, but she was walking very slowly in a sort of rhythm. I could hear her heart ponding at a pace so quick, I was afraid, she was about to fall over and die.

But she didn't.

When she finally did stand beside me, she turned to catch my eye. I could feel sweat prickling down my forehead, which was strange since vampires don't contain any perspiration whatsoever.

I could almost literally feel her gaze upon me. But for some reason I just couldn't return the look. What if it wasn't really her? What if this was just another bad dream about Elena? What if when I turned – when I had finally dared to turn – she would disappear before my open eyes?

I shivered slightly at the thought. I was never going to have her. She was always going to belong to my brother, Good Ole Stefan.

"Damon," I heard a small voice ask. I closed my eyes tightly. I was about to ruin a perfect dream, just by turning to look at her. I shook my head and thought; _Come on, Damon. _

I turned and looked into a pair of magnificent lapis-lazuli blue eyes. My heart skipped a beat. She was positively gorgeous. She wore a simple, white dress and a fragile veil.

She smiled encouragingly at me, and I couldn't help but smile back at her, triumphantly.

"Damon?" She half-said, half-asked. But then she continued and said the strangest thing.

"Damon, you need to wake up." First, her tone of voice sounded completely normal to my ears, but when she said it again, I could hear the panic rising more and more, as she kept saying my name – not to mention shaking me roughly.

I heard a desperate cry coming from Elena.

That was when I woke.

Once again, I found myself staring into the most beautiful eyes in the world. But this time the eyes held an emotion, I recognized all to quickly as fear.

I opened my mouth and asked, "Elena, what's going on?"

**Klaus POV**

I was in the middle of a laughing fit, when I heard the two people inside the house. Elena was sounding panicked, and Damon sounded confused and kept asking Elena what the hell was going on.

At last, I chuckled and listened to the conversation that was evolving inside the Boardinghouse.

"_Damon, look. Look at the mirror," _Elena sounded like she was going to faint at any minute. _Tell me it's not blood, Damon. Please tell me it's not human blood. I mean, I can take it if it's animal blood, but, Damon not – not if it's _human _blood. Oh god, Damon. What if it's someone I knows' blood? What if someone's dead?" _Elena was hyperventilating now.

"_Elena – Elena, my Princess. Please calm down. You're hyperventilating. _Elena, stop_." _I could imagine Damon shaking Elena gently – caressing her face, cupping her cheek, and I wanted to throw up.

"_Damon, tell me," _she continued. _"I demand you to tell me whether it's human, animal or fake blood."_ Elena was such a demanding creature. At that moment, I wanted her more than I'd ever wanted anything – anyone. I caught myself almost jumping off of the roof, breaking into the large Boardinghouse to claim her.

I crept back up the roof and sat patiently, waiting for the conversation to continue.

"_Look, Elena," _Damon said gently and lovingly, but with a hint of regret. _"I'm going to have to tell you something. But, you can't freak out, and you can't be angry with me."_

I could hear Elena's breath slowing as she tried to calm down.

"_Enlighten me, Damon. What do you have to tell me?" _She sounded incredibly strong and at peace, but there was also a slight hint of anger and panic attached to her tone.

Damon hesitated comprehensively, before closing his eyes briefly and opening his mouth to let Elena know, what he had to say. _"Elena," _he began. _"The blood, it's – it's human." _

Elena was about to yell something at Damon, but he cut her off by saying, _"But the blood was taken from a body already dead."_

Now, Elena screamed out in frustration.

"_But, Damon. How does that help anything? If it's a vampire who's done this – which I'm sure it is – then he or she might have killed whoever it was before taking the blood and using it to write a message on the mirror while we were sleeping."_

There was a silence, and I knew that Damon must have been processing what Elena had just said as argument.

"_You're right," _he said, giving up.

_Smart choice, _I thought. I wouldn't want to pick a fight with Elena, because somehow she'd always win – even if she were wrong. 


	7. Gone

**General POV**

Elena was staring at the mirror where seven words, written in capital letters – not to mention blood – stood, threateningly.

YOU WILL BE MINE BEFORE SUNDOWN, ELENA

What did all this mean? Elena didn't know, and she didn't want to find out, though she knew, she was going to have to get to the bottom of this at some point.

She sighed incredulously and earned a quick glance of confusion from Damon, who was sitting by his desk with a filled-to-the-top glass of bourbon in his right hand. At the moment, he was distracting himself by catching the reflection of the sun in the glass, making small patterns on the walls.

Elena shook her head silently. And then a thought popped into her shaking head. It was the PE teacher who was doing this. Mr. Larsen had to be a vampire, how else could he have controlled her dream? She would never have dreamt of him, if she hadn't done anything active to do so. And he had been awfully insistent about kissing her.

Elena shivered and a teardrop formed its way down Elena's cheek, before falling to the floor, where it hit the surface of the wooden floor hard and turned into millions of tiny teardrops.

Damon had been watching Elena out the corners of his eyes, and now, he just couldn't hold on to his self-control. Elena was crying. Damon realized that Elena must have come to the same con-clusion as he.

It had been the guy from Elena's dream/nightmare – the one who had attacked her, and Damon had to fight off.

Damon was seething with rage, and he felt his grip around his almost-empty glass of bourbon tighten to the point of destruction.

Actually, he didn't even notice the cracks that had already formed its way from top to bottom of the glass.

Elena looked up at the sound of breaking glass. She was frightened that someone might have found his or her way into the house again. But surely, it would have been way too suspicious to do so by breaking a window.

But when she did find the source of the cracking sound, her eyes fell on Damon, who looked like he was about to murder someone. Her gaze found its way to the ground, where a small pool of bourbon and glass was lying, menacingly.

"Damon," he heard his name whispered by the angel sitting on his bed. She looked so beautiful, yet so frail, and so sad.

This didn't help Damon's mood at all. He could feel the anger inside of him bubbling into an all-consuming rage.

He stood, shaking with the unbearable rage. He stormed out the door. He had to feed. He hadn't realized earlier, with all the fuss going on. But he'd very suddenly felt the urge to grab Elena harshly and sink his canines into her soft, milky skin.

Little did he realize, that he was leaving Elena behind, alone and unprotected…

**Elena POV**

I was shaking – not just a little bit, no. I was shaking violently. Damon had left me. Where had he gone?

I crawled back under the cover of his duvet. It was still warm. I cuddled closely to the pillow and listened to any sounds of movement, but I heard none other than a door creak loudly.

I stayed under the protection of the duvet, for what seemed like a very long time. Of course it had only been ten minutes or so, but it had felt like eternity. I shifted position, trying to find something else to do, than lie beneath the covers.

I was sitting at the edge of Damon's bed. It seemed cold without him in it, now. I did not really know what to do, so I just sat, looking in my bag for something interesting – of course, I found none.

Finally, I heard the door opening, and I rushed out of the bed, and I ran downstairs into the arms of who I thought was Damon.

I grabbed his grey shirt firmly and inhaled, still not having noticed, that it wasn't Damon in my arms.

_Wait, grey shirt? Damon never wears grey! _I thought, suddenly afraid. And this person – whoever it was – also smelled completely different from Damon's sweet odor, that always made me think of the ocean in winter.

No, this was definitely not Damon.

**Damon POV**

I was wandering down the street when out the corner of my eyes; I saw a pretty little thing approaching me.

She said, "I've never seen a man who looks so all alone, could you use a little company?"

For a moment, I didn't really know what to say or do. Sure she was easy on the eyes, but I just didn't feel much for girls who were this desperate. Though, of course I couldn't blame her for being this desperate, since _I_ was the pretty face, she was trying to seduce.

I looked deep into her eyes and said, "You will willingly follow me around the corner, and you will not scream, when I slowly suck the life out of you."

The girl, whose name was Amanda repeated everything I had just said, and she then followed me around the corner without asking as much as a single question. I was beginning to like this girl very much.

But of course the perfect picture had to break, because she could not keep her mouth shut, when I had finally gotten to the part, where I was going to sink my teeth into her quite short throat and feed off of her.

I'd taken a hold of the collar of her coat, when she opened her mouth and asked, "Aren't you going to like kiss me or something?" I was turned off as soon as she'd opened her mouth, but I sure needed the sweet, red liquid of hers, called blood.

Once again, I stared deeply into her eyes – this time a bit angrily – and explained very carefully, "No, I will not kiss you. I only want to kiss one woman in the world, and you are definitely not she. Now, just shut up or else I am going to kill you, and it won't be pleasant."

She gulped once, but kept her mouth shut, as I descended my mouth to her neck. I could sense the pace of her pulse quicken, and I smiled evilly as my fangs sank into the softness of her skin.

She moaned at first, but after a little while she began to groan, shriek and push me away from her.

I didn't feel like stopping, but the thought of how guilty I would feel once I was at home, staring into Elena's trusting blue eyes made me pull back.

I told the girl not to remember anything about what had happened to her today, other than that she had met the most beautiful man in the world, and that she had had coffee with him.

I laughed to myself as I began to walk back to the Boardinghouse.

But then I finally thought of something. I had left Elena behind, alone and unprotected. I sped the rest of the way back to the house at vampire speed, but when I got there, it was too late.


	8. Sleeping with the Enemy

**General POV**

_Earlier…_

Elena was sitting at the edge of Damon's bed. It seemed cold without him in it, now. She did not really know what to do, so she just sat, looking in her bag for something interesting – of course, she found none.

Finally, Elena heard the door opening, and she rushed out of the bed, with her bag hanging around her shoulder. She ran downstairs into the arms of who she thought was Damon.

Elena grabbed his grey shirt firmly and inhaled, still not having noticed, that it wasn't Damon in her arms.

_Wait, grey shirt? Damon never wears grey! _Elena thought, suddenly afraid. And this person – whoever it was – also smelled completely different from Damon's sweet odor, that always made her think of the forest in winter.

No, this was definitely not Damon.

Elena's eyes flew open, and she stared into the face of her substitute teacher in PE, Mr. Larsen. She tried to take a step back, but Mr. Larsen's arms went around her and held her in place.

He smirked before remarking, "You still call me Mr. Larsen. Well no need for that. My name is Klaus."

Elena's eyes widened as he told her his name. Where had she heard the name Klaus before? She knew that her remembering where she had heard that name before was extremely significant at the moment, but she just couldn't. And she also couldn't say anything. It was like her lips had been glued together all of a sudden.

"Oh, come on, Elena. Surely you are aware that you've heard my name before. But just in case, I'll tell you my story – though we first need to get away from here. How 'bout my apartment? It's really not that far away…" Klaus felt the smile tugging at his lips, but instead of giving into it, he lifted Elena up in bridal style and ran at vampire speed all the way to his apartment.

_Now…_

Damon was approaching the Boardinghouse with caution. He sent out a small burst of power to search the house for any intruders, but what he found was even worse.

The house was empty.

Damon could feel his unbeating heart jump to his throat, making a lump. He swallowed and carefully entered the house in case the vampire he was up against could do some fancy trick, where he hid his and Elena's presence from others.

Damon really hoped this was the case. If she was still in there, he might be able to get her back, but if the other vampire had taken her somewhere else… He might not be able to find her, and then he wouldn't forgive himself for being so careless – leaving her all alone.

Damon felt angry with himself. How _could _he have been so careless? He really didn't deserve her love.

At this thought, Damon screamed out in rage.

Elena felt numb. She couldn't think, couldn't speak – she couldn't do anything at all. She just sat there on a less-than-comfortable couch and stared into nothingness.

A huge hand reached for her face, cupping her cheek. She flinched, but she didn't move. She couldn't move. It was like he had put a spell on her.

And of course he had. She wasn't wearing her necklace, so at the moment she was the easiest prey imaginable. She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. She could feel sweat prickling on her forehead, and she found that she had never been this scared ever in her life – not even when she had been in the car crash where her parents had been killed.

She looked into the terrifying face of which she had learned was named Klaus. He smiled wickedly at her and moved closer, so close she could smell his breath. It smelled like a mixture of blood and alcohol.

Elena looked down to see that his white, predatory teeth were extending. She whimpered, which was something he seemed to enjoy, because a cruel, crooked smile was spreading on his intimidating face.

Klaus leaned closer, and Elena thought he was going to kiss her, but he shifted, and she realized that he was aiming for her neck.

She tried to move, but Klaus' merciless arms circled her hips and kept her from escaping. Though Klaus had a firm grip on her, she started shifting in his arms, so that his mouth would get nowhere near her neck.

But this was not the first time Klaus was claiming a woman by sinking his sharp fangs into her throat, so he grabbed a hold of her hair with one of his hands and kept the other arm securely around Elena's waist.

He then lay on top of her without letting go. He directed his mouth to her throat and sank his long, sharp canines into the soft flesh of her neck.

Elena whimpered loudly – which was something she would later deny. This was nothing like when Stefan or Damon had been taking blood from her. With them, there had been real love behind their actions – or something very close to it (Damon). With Klaus there was only a hungry desire for her, a sort of need for her body under his. With him, it was purely sexual or an evil game be-tween prey and predator.

Just as she thought that, Klaus slipped a hand under her shirt and began to explore the more private places of her body. She then heard a thought in her head, and it sure wasn't her own, _Huh? Elena's body is actually slightly more curved than Katherine's was._

Elena noticed that Klaus was fidgeting with something, and she realized it was the zipper in her pants. He was trying to get her pants off.

Damon stormed out of the Boardinghouse. He had to find her. He had to find Elena before it was too late. Damon comforted himself with the fact that this vampire's intentions weren't to kill his Elena, but to…

No, that thought only infuriated Damon further.

Just imagining Elena with someone else made Damon – well, he couldn't deny it – extremely jealous and not to mention angry. It had been bearable seeing her with Stefan, but with this guy… Damon's thoughts trailed off, as he shook his head disapprovingly. Though, it wasn't like Elena was doing this willingly. As a matter of fact, she was being forced.

Damon clenched his fists, as the uninvited pictures of Elena and this vampire entered his already damaged mind. Elena's long legs wrapping around the vampire; his mouth on hers; his hands on her craving body; their naked bodies in a tight embrace–

_No! _Damon was shaking with unexpressed emotions. His fists were now clenched so tightly that his knuckles were turning ghost white. He bared his blood-aching teeth and set off from the ground, turning into the shape of a crow, while using all the power he could possibly manage, to send great, big waves of power that enveloped the entire town of Fell's Church, until he sensed Elena's presence.

Of course it did not take long, since Elena's strong, independent, golden aura shone so brightly in the darkness of other's. But Damon noticed a slight hinge of distress to the aura, which sent him flying even faster than he already was. He nearly flew into a pack of swallows, but he avoided a collision at the last minute.

Damon flew a long way. But he did not care. He had to save her. He had to. If he did not, neither Stefan nor himself would be able to let it pass as just a little screw-up. Stefan would actually kill him – and Damon would gladly let him.

Elena was struggling not to cry. Tears were threatening to pour out of her eyes like a waterfall, but this was already too humiliating. She could not add crying to the list of humiliating things she had done since Klaus took her.

She was already making a list in her head.

List of humiliating things (not to mention things I would never usually do) that has happened to me today:

I was speechless and couldn't move when Klaus came (which is a lot more humiliating than it sounds – 'cause it's weak and I'm not weak).

I whimpered – twice!

I haven't fought hard enough.

I haven't even used the stake in my bag…

…The stake. How could she forget about that? She searched the room for her bag and found that it was lying just beneath the couch.

Elena tried to reach for it, but Klaus was holding her so tightly, she could not even move a finger. She had to come up with something and it had to be fast.

"Klaus," she said in the most seductive voice she could manage.

"Yes?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He was no longer drinking her blood.

"I've decided that it's silly to be afraid of you–"

"I'm glad you finally think so–"

"–So I was thinking, maybe you'd like for me to be a bit more cooperative." He looked thoughtful, which Elena took as a good sign.

"And how exactly, do you feel you can be more _cooperative_?" He questioned hesitantly, uneasily.

"Maybe," she said. Oh, this was difficult. "If you would release your hold on my arms, I could get to explore your body."

Klaus looked like he was trying to find the answer to a riddle unsuccessfully, but to Elena's surprise, he broke into laughter and said, while removing tears of laughter from his face, "I am certain your intentions are not pure, Elena. However, I will give you a chance to prove yourself, I'm feeling quite in my experiential corner today, so, bring it on." He chuckled and let Elena pull her arms from his grasp.

She rubbed them since they felt sore, but remembered she had a job to do. She had to make Klaus think that she was seducing him, while trying to retrieve the wooden stake from her bag.

She swung a leg around Klaus's waist and surprise was clear in his expression. She smiled at him and began moving her arms up and down his body and slowly he started kissing her every-where.

Elena could feel her stomach heaving faster and faster, since he was nearing her intimate place. She buried her hand in his soft, fur-like, white hair and let the other hand glide down the couch to find the bag.

Her hand touched something that felt like leather, and sure enough, it was her bag. She carefully opened it and soundlessly rummaged through the stuff in her bag. Her hand found something made of wood, which was pointy.

_Found it, _she thought triumphantly.

Damon was stranding outside a large, gray building.

_Who would ever want to live here? _Damon thought this building was very boring – and Damon was not much for boring.

He quickly checked the building to confirm that this was where he had sensed Elena. Yep, this was it. She was on the top floor; of course Damon had expected nothing else – creepy vampires always stayed at the top floor. He inhaled deeply, attempting to summon up a plan on how to rescue his White Angel of Darkness.

Damon once again transformed into the infamous black crow and lifted off from the ground. He flew to a window, where he sighted something that made his blood boil with fury.


	9. The End

Elena retrieved the stake from her bag. She was very careful not to let Klaus see it. Now, she found that she had been too occupied with finding the stake. A heavy stream of blood was flowing down her neck, making enticing patterns on her shirt.

_They look like that gravy mommy used to make for thanksgiving, _she thought dizzily. _Like when she spilled it on the white, white, white tablecloth. It made such beau– beautiful patterns. _Elena's thoughts were dissolving into none-coherent thinking.

She attempted to raise her trembling hand, holding the stake. She just wanted him to stop… Just stop. She wished she could just plunge the stake into Klaus' back and let it be over with…

But her arm went limp in the air and the stake fell from her weakening grasp. The stake fell to the floor and made the noise wood makes when it collides with plank floors.

Klaus let go of Elena, falling out of his blood-trance.

"Tsk, tsk, Elena. Were you trying to make an attempt on my life, while I was caught up in your lovely white throat?"

Elena's mind went to a complete blank. She sought any object that could possibly get her out of this mess. Unfortunately she found none.

The stake was out of her reach. But even if it wasn't, she just couldn't move.

"God, Elena. You look a little pale. And your heartbeat's slowing." He smiled a cruel predatory smile and picked up the stake.

"Well, that's what blood loss can do to a girl." Elena couldn't think of a wittier comeback.

"I suppose you're right. The next time I feed I'm going to have to feed off of someone other than you. Well until you're up and running again anyway." Elena could hear the smile in his voice even though his face was calm, cold and dead serious.

"The– The next time? There's going to be a next time?"

"Why of course! Did you think I was just going to leave you?"

"Yes!" Elena yelled exasperatedly. "Why– Why? Why? Why are you here? What do you want from me?" Elena was about to burst into tears, when she heard a breaking of glass.

"Yes, why _are_ you here? What _do_ you want from her?"

Even with her blurred sight, Elena could make out the shape of Damon.

The sound of a growl exploded from Klaus, whose eyes were looking more and more poisonous by the minute.

"Damon," Klaus said through gritted teeth. "What a lovely surprise. Here to rescue Elena, I assume?"

"Wauw, that is nicely deduced, Klaus. You're more intelligent than I expected." The sarcasm dripping from Damon's words was so obvious Elena couldn't help but smile.

But God, smiling hurt. Her throat felt dry and her sight was blurring again – and not because of tears. Elena coughed and then she felt two sets of eyes on her, one of irritation and one of concern.

Elena placed her hands around her neck. It felt like she was being strangled with an invisible rope. And somehow Elena knew that it was him, that it was Klaus, doing this to her.

Elena was seeing red. Not like she was angry, but like she was losing consciousness. Twice in one day, that would be a record.

Damon didn't know what was happening, but he was betting on Klaus being the source of Elena's sudden loss of oxygen. He jumped at him; one arm was securely locked around Klaus' throat. But it wasn't as easy as Damon had hoped for. Klaus was a very old vampire, one of the Originals.

In no more than a flick of a finger, Klaus had Damon cornered. Damon could only glimpse the elongated canines in Klaus' mouth, but it was enough to send chills down his spine.

The only thing that gave Damon just a little hope of surviving this damned encounter with Klaus was that Klaus had no weapon to kill Damon with. Or so Damon thought.

As Damon was about to make a jump for Klaus, he heard Elena's strained voice, it was a plea for him to get out of here: "Damon, go! He's got a–" and then he no longer heard her begging voice. He glanced behind him to make sure that she was okay.

But as he turned, the vision that waited for him… He'd never seen anything like it before. It made him want to cry and cry. It had been a long time since he'd felt like crying.

Elena was laying spread out as a little puddle on the floor. Some blood was trickling down the side of her mouth, her eyes were closed and her hands were still clutched to her throat.

She looked… Dead.

"What did you do?" Damon choked on the words as they reached his tongue.

"Oh, she making an awful lot of noise and so I shut her up." Klaus smiled wickedly at the frightened look in Damon's black, fathomless eyes.

"But she isn't dead?" Damon needed confirmation – reassurance – 'cause Klaus wasn't a very literal man.

"No, no. I don't want her to die. I just…want her."

"But why?" Damon didn't understand why he couldn't just find someone else, another girl to torture.

"Why, you should know that better than anyone, Damon. She looks like Katherine, but she isn't, she's stronger, more powerful, if you will."

Damon was taken aback. Those were almost the exact same words he'd used to reason for his actions, when he'd first come to Fell's Church. He'd wanted her for her strength, power and because she was the opposite of him, she was going to be the light to his darkness.

And finally he remembered. "Klaus? As in the-man-who-turned-Katherine Klaus?"

"Nicely deduced, Damon. I'd applaud, but this isn't a game of twenty questions, and frankly, I'm getting really bored. Now, I just want it all over with, so I can take sleeping beauty, here, away from this God-forsaken place."

"You know, Klaus, I've heard this rumor that white oak is a wood-sort that makes Originals stronger, when in its presence, but also is the only wood that can kill them for good." He cocked an eyebrow in triumph.

"Where exactly are you going with this?" Klaus asked, but then something Damon recognized as understanding was dawning on the Original's handsome visage.

From the look on Klaus' face, Damon concluded that it must be true. He leaned down to the floor, broke up a nice big splinter, and positioned himself in front of Klaus, stake poised to kill.

**Stefan's POV**

Stefan was distraught. For days he had searched for animals to prey on, to at least satisfy his hunger – no, not satisfy that would never happen as long as he only drank the blood of animals – but everywhere he went, it seemed to have been completely abandoned by anything edible – well, edible to him, that was. He felt that the closer he came to an animal it was too eager to escape him.

Of course it was an inexplicable coincidence, but the whole situation was unquestioningly suspicious and Stefan didn't like it one tiny bit. He could swear that the eerie presence of another vampire's Power followed him around like a snake, sliming its way towards a helpless innocent mouse.

Stefan didn't think that he was even remotely as helpless and innocent as a small mouse, but he couldn't shake that he felt unsafe and weaker than ever.

But then he thought of Elena, his sweet and beautiful love, whom was waiting for him to come home, fed beyond hunger – then, of course, that would never happen entirely, unless he preyed on a human to the point of death.

Even so, thinking of his lovely little love made him feel more at peace, calming his nerves. How silly of him to think that something or someone was purposely leading animals away from him. Just…ridiculous!

**Klaus POV**

Klaus was actually feeling threatened at this moment. Of course, he had expected Damon to try and find Elena; he just hadn't anticipated it to be this quickly. But then again, maybe he had been enjoying Elena's presence a little too soon – he could have managed to escape with her in a matter of minutes if he hadn't been so tempted by the glorious beauty that was now slowly opening her lapis lazuli blue eyes.

Klaus smiled wickedly. Oh, how he'd missed those blue eyes. And he wasn't about to admit defeat and miss his chance to stare into those eyes for hours at a time. That would never happen again.

He slowly maneuvered his way over to Elena on the couch.

**Elena POV**

Elena felt Klaus moving towards her. She felt so weak, and she looked in Damon's direction. Damon looked ill, she thought, but supernaturally beautiful. She felt her breath catch in her sore throat. He had always had that effect on her – probably always would. Her heart ached for the love she could never have.

So in one last attempt to have all of this over with, she smiled wickedly at Damon and winked. She gathered all of her courage in a huge bubble inside of herself, and then she rose from the couch, grabbed Klaus, and kissed him fiercely on the mouth.

She knew that Klaus had been caught off guard, and that was the way she wanted it. She looked at Damon again, who watched the entire scene with a look of dismay and confusion, but when he saw her look from him and then to the stake in his hands, she knew that he had figured out her plan.

In a movement faster than the speed of light, Damon plunged the white oak stake into Klaus' back.

The last thing Elena heard before she blacked out was an ear-deafening scream of anger and anguish.

Elena awoke in Damon's arms. She couldn't see him because her eyes were closed, but she that it was Damon. She would never forget the tender way in which he held her. She opened her eyes and looked at her savior.

A great blinding light as white and bright as snow met her. She blinked until her eyes were used to the fierce brightness, and then she saw him. She looked at the stunning sight above her tiny guise. Just behind Damon's glorious bundle of black hair the sun shone brightly and appeared as a golden halo over Damon's head.

"You're my Angel," she said and smiled. "You saved me."

Damon smiled and looked down at her. "You must have hit your head pretty hard, when I staked Klaus in the back, huh?"

Elena reflectively held a hand to her head, and sure thing, it was throbbing painfully. But Elena knew that it was more than just a bump to the head that made her sentimental towards Damon.

"Maybe so," she answered. "But I can never give you anything as thanks in return for you saving my life today, Damon, nothing…"

Damon snorted. "Of course there is, 'Lena!"

"What?! Anything, Damon. Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you!"

"You," he said hoarsely, but with such warmth that it Elena's heart fluttered. He lowered his gaze to her, and she could see the desire for her in his dark eyes.

But then she thought of Stefan, her one and only love. He was alone and in danger somewhere, and she had to find him.

"I know," Damon said. "You can't give me what I want. I can already see you thinking of your precious Stefan."

"You're right, Damon, I can't give you what you want. But I will give you something…" Elena stood. She was still looking into Damon's eyes, when she sat down on his lap. She noticed amusedly that Damon's eyes widened slightly.

She gently placed her hands on each side of his face, still holding his wondering gaze.

"Elena," he whispered.

"Hush," she replied and put her thumb on his parted lips. She leaned forward, and then her lips were embracing his in a kiss more passionate, than anything Elena had ever tried.

Damon's desire for her merged with her hidden desire for him, and the sparks between them were undeniable.

He held her tightly as if he would never let her go, and she gripped his soft, so soft, hair with her fist.

The kiss lasted for what felt like years, but Elena wanted more. She felt something like a leaf fly by her face, and she opened her eyes to see that it was, in fact, a leaf.

At the sight of it her heart ached, and she parted herself from Damon. She turned her back to him and watched leaf fly passed her. It was a green leaf that reminded her of someone, someone she had forgotten in the heat of the moment.

"Stefan has leaf-green eyes," she whispered to herself. _Oh, Stefan, where are you?_ she thought.

When Elena turned to face Damon, she said with resolution: "I'm going to find him, Damon. I'm going to find him and bring him home with or without your help."

"We better get moving then," Damon said and held out his hand, and Elena took it without hesitation.


End file.
